Brandt's of Palatine has seen generations of locals come and go over the years, and after new owners rescued the business from creditors this past year, the burgers are as solid as ever.

"But it was actually a farmhouse out where Al Capone had his hideout over in Inverness by the silos. So yeah, it's got a lot of history," said co-owner Walter Oswald.

You're never going to see Brandt's winning any major culinary awards, but there are two things customers here continue to come back for: the old Chicago-style, fall-off-the-bone ribs - drenched in sweet barbecue sauce - and a massive, half-pound burger from Chicago Stockyards.

They arrive on your choice of pretzel or butter buns; even dark rye bread. Your choice of cheese and condiments, plus regular fries or sweet potato, even homemade chips. One of the things Oswald and his partner, local boy Jimmy Iuorio did when they bought the struggling restaurant a few months ago, was to shore up the building, but essentially keep everything else the same.

"It's like family. It's very much is like Cheers. You just get a good sense when you walk in the door, and people that don't know each other talk to each other at the bar or talk to each other because tables are close. So it's just a very friendly place that people like to be at," said Oswald.

Now even though the ribs and the burgers get all the attention here at Brandt's, don't overlook the homemade soup or chili, which are going to be perfect as it gets cooler over the next few weeks.

The restaurant also has a small room on the side of the building for private parties.